When I was around the age of 12, every Saturday from 10 AM to noon, I would sit by my radio and listen to the Dr. Demento Show. I was in love with Dr. Demento and his “mad music and crazy comedy” he brought to the airwaves every week. I even joined his fan club – the Demento Society; I still have an autographed picture of the Doctor taped up in my childhood bedroom – the man even announced my birthday on the air! I encourage everyone to visit his website and listen to some of his shows and samples – to this day, it’s a radio show unlike anything else ever done before.
For those unfamiliar with the program, Demento specializes in comedy and novelty music, and covers funny tunes from pretty much every era of recorded music ever. The Doctor, whose real name is Barret Eugene Hansen, is an avid record collector, and his collection of records, tapes, and comedic discs new and old is as far-reaching and vast as the man’s knowledge of satirical music. Long before Adam Sandler was making terrible music albums, long before George Carlin wowed us on compact disc, Demento was spinning the most hilarious, and often risque, records on the planet.
Probably the best thing the Doctor is known for is bringing Weird Al Yankovic to national attention and eventual superstardom. Without the help of the Doctor’s then-popular and widely syndicated program, no one would have ever heard Yankovic’s early parodies of popular songs that would lead him to become a pop star on his own, receiving airplay on MTV, performing to sold-out crowds, and even making his own film, the cult classic, UHF (Demento himself has a cameo in the movie).
I’m giving the Doctor praise today because last week was his last show on traditional radio. A statement published on his Web site explained that financial hardships have forced the show to cease FM radio syndication and instead broadcast solely online. In fact, the only station still carrying the program’s online episdoes, at least for the time being, is the station I discovered Demento on, KACV FM in Amarillo, Texas.
While it’s great that the program is still able to continue via the Internet, the ceasing of traditional broadcasts marks the end of an era for the historic 40-year program, and just another modern-day example of the decline of the business of FM. And so, after the jump, I have provided a short tribute to the Doctor and his weekly whimsical wackiness – just a few of my favorite songs I heard on the Dr. Demento Show. Though I may not be able to literally “wind up” my radio anymore, I’ll be certain to stay demented for years to come.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
250. Rage Against the Machine – How I Could Just Kill a Man
For most of the decade, 3/4 of Rage were in shitty solo projects or the inevitably dreadful Audioslave. The other 1/4 released a new song every once in a while and lived off his earnings from the 90’s (that one is Zach). There were a few reunion shows – most of which sent people to the hospital – but overall the boys weren’t really raging much in the 2000’s. But at the turn of the century, before the nasty breakup, Rage put out their final studio album Renegades, a pretty kickass covers album. And although this Cypress Hill remake is a pretty straightforward take on the original, it still hits hard, the way these guys always knew how to.
Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
50. The Thermals – Liquid In, Liquid Out
The shortest song from the group’s poppiest album, and quite a singalong at that. It’s a shame they don’t play this live, but I suppose it was intended as a mere interlude for the middle of the disc. What might have been unintentional is the song’s surefire infectiousness.
After the jump are five TV shows you should be watching, whether on TV, Hulu, DVD, or by illegal means. Just watch them. These are not ranked, and they are not necessarily my all-time favorites (I’m leaving out many of my favorites, in fact) – they are just shows I am currently in love with. You will love them too.
Today I bought a ticket to watch Dwight Yoakam at the Nutty Brown Cafe on Saturday June 5th here in my new home of Austin, Texas. And I am stoked. I haven’t seen Dwight since his 1996 Gone Tour (I was 9 at the time). Besides the Beatles, I have been a fanboy of Mr. Yoakam longer than any other of my favorite bands/artists. And so, to celebrate my $50 purchase for what will be one of the best evenings of my life, I have compiled the most difficult list to compile ever – my favorite Dwight Yoakam songs.
Originally this was going to be a list of ten, but Dwight has too many classics to pick from. As with most best-ofs for DY, it is heavy on the 80’s and early 90’s, but there are a few tracks that are more recent. I invite you to browse his entire catalog – it is fascinating and almost perfect. For those who are fans of a more traditional country sound, preferably the honky-tonk styles of Buck Owens, Dwight is hands down the best you can get. In my opinion, he’s the best country music songwriter and performer to have ever lived. Enjoy.
